AS THE UNIVERSITY of Utah basketball team played its last game of the regular season, Saturday night at the Huntsman Center, the crowd couldn't get enough of Keith Van Horn. He was, as advertised, the All-American hero, scoring 29 points. After four years and 116 games, the highest-scoring player in Utah history went out in style. Some say he will go down as the best WAC player ever.
Even so, Van Horn is doing a good job of not appearing smug. He's ducking his head, looking at his feet and acting as humble as he did when he first came to college. But should he happen to let slip an occasional "I-told-you-so," he couldn't be blamed. A year ago he was being advised by everyone with a working knowledge of the dollar system that he'd be daft not to declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft. Even his coach agreed. The concept wasn't difficult: If you have enough money, you can get your education at your leisure. The rest of the college experience is, unfortunately, expendable.But in a surprise move, Van Horn stayed to finish his schooling. It was an immensely popular decision with Utah's fans, but not quite so popular with his wallet. It meant another year of living below the poverty line. The best thing that could be said about remaining a student is that he probably didn't have to pay taxes.
The decision to remain at Utah for his senior season went against the overwhelming trend of top players. These days, if you're a true NBA prospect, it's unlikely you'll stay for more than one or two years of college before heading to the pros. Last spring, Van Horn was almost alone among top college players who decided to stay. The other most significant player who opted to play out his senior season was Wake Forest's Tim Duncan. Duncan and Van Horn could be the first two players picked in this year's NBA Draft.
In some ways, it was a lonely decision to stay in school. Van Horn was feeling a little like Robinson Crusoe. Company was hard to find. He looked around for his contemporaries and they were all on their cell phones talking to their agents. Last spring, 42 players signed up as early entry candidates in the draft, even though there are only 29 first-round picks.
It isn't as though a number of them weren't good enough to play in the NBA. The first seven players drafted were early entries, and nine of the first 10. Of the 13 lottery picks, only two played their entire college careers - Villanova's Kerry Kittles (No. 8) and North Carolina State's Todd Fuller (No. 11). Just four lottery picks stayed in college beyond their sophomore season. Two of the top 17 draft picks - Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal - didn't play any college basketball.
Staying in school was starting to look like eating a plateful of brussel sprouts - good for you but not very appetizing.
Nevertheless, Van Horn says he is happy he stayed. "I think staying is probably one of the best decisions I ever made," he said. "I'm as happy as I've ever been. There's nothing I'd change."
If the college system is looking for someone to make a bold statement on the necessity of staying in school, though, it isn't Van Horn. He stayed because his team was going to be better, he liked his coach and teammates, and his parents wanted him to get a college degree. All good reasons.
But, he adds, "If a person came up to me and gave me that situation, I'd have to look at it. I'd have to say, well, if you're going to be with a better team, have the same relationship with your teammates and have the same coach that you have in the past, then definitely stay. But if your family has a financial situation where it requires that you bring in money, or the coach is fired or the team isn't doing so well, then I would suggest that you go."
Van Horn calls the decision to go pro "personal." As to whether he would recommend doing what he did, he shrugs. "Those (other) guys made decisions based on what's best for them. I based my decision on what was best for me. That's what it comes down to."
So in a few more games, Van Horn's college career will be over. His decision to stay in college gave him "experiences you can't replace," yet he will still make piles of money in the NBA. But if you're looking for an unqualified endorsement of higher education system, you'll have to look somewhere else. His opinion is if you can do it the same way he did, fine. If not, do like Mike: take the money and run.